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Playstation Vita

I had a look around and it doesn't seem there's a topic for this yet. If there is, feel free to merge or lock.

Anyhoo, a while back Sony announced a new handheld, calling it the Next Generation Portable, or NGP. E3 revealed more about it, and the official title is the Playstation Vita, or PSV. This is what it looks like...

As you can see, it has dual analog sticks (rather than the nub things on the PSP) and a much larger screen, but what you can't see is the touchscreen on both the front and back (the back one is more of a touch pad, it's kinda weird).

Now, what's more interesting is the games, which look nigh-on PS3 quality.

Spoiler: Here are a few select screenshots...

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

LittleBigPlanet

Resistance Burning Skies

New King's Story (the sequel of sorts to Little King's Story on Wii)

Some people are predicting it could eclipse the 3DS upon release due to it's technical advantages, as well as the surprisingly low price (the same as the 3DS as it was upon launch, if I recall correctly), but the same was said of the PSP and we all know how that turned out.

Other interesting information - flash cards (like the 3DS and DS use) are the main format (rather than UMDs), all games will be made available on the online store for download, as well as a select number of PSP and PS1 classics, it will have a camera that allows for AR games, motion controls, and there are two models, one with 3G internet capabilities (through AT&T) and another without (which is the cheaper model, naturally).

Re: Playstation Vita

You know, as interesting as the Vita is, I'm gonna be honest: I don't want one.

It doesn't really seem to offer anything that I want, and so far what it does have is stuff I can get on other systems. :/

Meanwhile, I'm actually more interested in the Xperia Play, what with it being a "Playstation-Certified Smartphone." I don't have a cell phone to call my own, I really want a smartphone, and it can have PS1 + PSP games downloaded to it (ala the Vita) alongside other titles on the Android marketplace. Plus, there's the whole thing that it'd wouldn't be difficult to get it on the plan my family already has.

I'm not going to write the Vita off entirely though, but I imagine it's going to be the same situation with this as it was with the PS3 for me: powerful system, but only a couple of games that I actually want to play that I can't get elsewhere. If the Vita does manage to impress me game-wise, I may consider getting one, but that would probably be after a price-drop or something. As of now, I just can't see myself getting it.

Re: Playstation Vita

You know, as interesting as the Vita is, I'm gonna be honest: I don't want one.

It doesn't really seem to offer anything that I want, and so far what it does have is stuff I can get on other systems. :/

Originally Posted by vaporchu

I'm not going to write the Vita off entirely though, but I imagine it's going to be the same situation with this as it was with the PS3 for me: powerful system, but only a couple of games that I actually want to play that I can't get elsewhere. If the Vita does manage to impress me game-wise, I may consider getting one, but that would probably be after a price-drop or something. As of now, I just can't see myself getting it.

The interesting thing is that the PS3 but the PSP suffered from a similar thing - a not-so-impressive launch library, and suffered from a lack of exclusives to give incentive to buy the system over others. Vita seems to have the same thing too, but interestingly enough the 3DS has a similar issue as well looking past all the "must haves" on the 3DS library.

The Vita does have Little Big Planet, an exclusive that helped the PS3 sell more units, so it's something worth considering here. It might be better off, though I'm wondering now if the developers are just doing it to milk the franchise for all it's worth.

This is the big factor here in which console gets more momentum. If there are more exclusives that are worth playing(i.e. Mario), then the system will get more flocking toward it, but otherwise it'll be left in the dust with no real reason to get it aside from supporting the company(i.e. PS3).

Originally Posted by vaporchu

Meanwhile, I'm actually more interested in the Xperia Play, what with it being a "Playstation-Certified Smartphone." I don't have a cell phone to call my own, I really want a smartphone, and it can have PS1 + PSP games downloaded to it (ala the Vita) alongside other titles on the Android marketplace. Plus, there's the whole thing that it'd wouldn't be difficult to get it on the plan my family already has.

My concern was how would you play playstation games on a smartphone with analog sticks being required, but then I looked it up.

What sort of games interest you, then, if there's nothing on Vita that interests you?

Re: Playstation Vita

Originally Posted by Eltrotraw

The Vita does have Little Big Planet, an exclusive that helped the PS3 sell more units, so it's something worth considering here. It might be better off, though I'm wondering now if the developers are just doing it to milk the franchise for all it's worth.

As much as I'm not all that fond of LittleBigPlanet, it seems "made" for Vita, seeing as the touch screen controls will most likely really speed up the level construction process. Not to mention it really shows off the console's capabilities without being as intrusive as it is in, say, Uncharted.

As for the games, 3rd parties haven't really revealed much, they've said games are in the works (Assassin's Creed from Ubisoft for example, and Kojima Productions is working on something) but there isn't really much outside of Sony's own stuff. I can see the Tokyo Game Show revealing quite a few games though, because of the proximity to the Japanese release date.

Re: Playstation Vita

Originally Posted by Eltrotraw

What sort of games interest you, then, if there's nothing on Vita that interests you?

Well, to be honest it's probably more of the fantasy and imaginative games (the department that Nintendo tends to succeed in) than games that tend to go for a more realistic feel. There are certainly many games on the PS3 and soon-to-be on the Vita, but they really tend to drop off the radar in favor of other games that, for a lack of a better word, are more "mainstream." I guess that's a terrible reason to dislike a system, but there we go. I do want LittleBigPlanet though, but I hardly see it as a reason to get a system when I know that's the only I'm sure I would like. And while the Vita has access to the same store that the Phone does (minus the Android stuff, I imagine), the Phone is also cheaper and more functional outside of gaming, and right now I really don't need anymore dedicated gaming platforms.

That doesn't mean I WON'T get the Vita, but unless it brings out some games that really start appealing to me. I do sorta wish it was like in the days in the PS2 where every system had a number of games to offer to me, but maybe things haven't really changed all too much and my tastes are simply a lot narrower than in the past.

Re: Playstation Vita

I don't think that the Vita will be doing so hot once it gets released. I mean, I'm not gonna write off the system entirely, but it's simply too easy to see the system being left in the dust.

The price is a big thing since the cheaper version is the same price as the 3DS's original $250, but that just doesn't look so small when you factor in the 3DS's new price. I'm sure that there are people who would still be willing to pay for the more expensive system, but I can definitely see a lot more consumers going for the cheaper console.

Another big thing to factor in is the time of launch. The Vita completely misses out on the holiday season in the US and Europe, and that's the biggest sales period for video games. While everyone is off getting their new, cheaper 3DS consoles and games, the Vita just won't be there are at all. 3DS sales are going up even without the impressive launch lineup due to its new price, and once the games hit the store shelves by the holiday season, the number of systems sold should be increasing even faster. Exclusives are a big thing too, but Eltro already did a good job of going over that.

I was interested in the Vita, but I can't really see it going all that far.

Re: Playstation Vita

Originally Posted by vaporchu

Well, to be honest it's probably more of the fantasy and imaginative games (the department that Nintendo tends to succeed in) than games that tend to go for a more realistic feel. There are certainly many games on the PS3 and soon-to-be on the Vita, but they really tend to drop off the radar in favor of other games that, for a lack of a better word, are more "mainstream." I guess that's a terrible reason to dislike a system, but there we go. I do want LittleBigPlanet though, but I hardly see it as a reason to get a system when I know that's the only I'm sure I would like. And while the Vita has access to the same store that the Phone does (minus the Android stuff, I imagine), the Phone is also cheaper and more functional outside of gaming, and right now I really don't need anymore dedicated gaming platforms.

Has the release library of the Vita been announced? This is a big factor to consider, too.

Especially with what seems like your interest in a more "obscure" library of games.

Originally Posted by vaporchu

That doesn't mean I WON'T get the Vita, but unless it brings out some games that really start appealing to me. I do sorta wish it was like in the days in the PS2 where every system had a number of games to offer to me, but maybe things haven't really changed all too much and my tastes are simply a lot narrower than in the past.

Wasn't it more that the PS2 had games to pretty much cater to everyone?

Sony would have to work real hard to get that level of freedom and power again, now that Nintendo and Microsoft have caught up and are utilizing those third parties. This makes the issue of exclusives more relevant.

Originally Posted by Ark

I don't think that the Vita will be doing so hot once it gets released. I mean, I'm not gonna write off the system entirely, but it's simply too easy to see the system being left in the dust.

The price is a big thing since the cheaper version is the same price as the 3DS's original $250, but that just doesn't look so small when you factor in the 3DS's new price. I'm sure that there are people who would still be willing to pay for the more expensive system, but I can definitely see a lot more consumers going for the cheaper console.

Keep in mind the reasoning for the 3DS to lower their price to begin with. How many people bought 3DSes at release, again?

Originally Posted by Ark

Another big thing to factor in is the time of launch. The Vita completely misses out on the holiday season in the US and Europe, and that's the biggest sales period for video games. While everyone is off getting their new, cheaper 3DS consoles and games, the Vita just won't be there are at all. 3DS sales are going up even without the impressive launch lineup due to its new price, and once the games hit the store shelves by the holiday season, the number of systems sold should be increasing even faster. Exclusives are a big thing too, but Eltro already did a good job of going over that.

I was interested in the Vita, but I can't really see it going all that far.

On the other hand, releasing a game or similar during Springtime(Q2, rather), would tide over people waiting for big shot games... except they really need some cool incentive to get people to buy the console.

Since this is new hardware, they'll be hard pressed to convince the majority of consumers that it's worth it. I personally think they're going by that philosophy and using that opening to their advantage, however they might take it.

Re: Playstation Vita

I personally will be looking forward to getting the Vita eventually. I don't really want a 3DS, but the new price point there does make me rethink a bit about getting Vita. However, I think whenever I do get around to getting one of the two systems, it would come down to games that I would want to play now. On the Vita there is Uncharted as the big title I want. Resistance, might prop into one I want too, but we'll see. On the 3DS the big title I would want there is...well that's the thing, nothing really interests me. I mean sure there is LoZ:OoT and Star Fox 64 that I have never played, or Mario Kart 7 or Luigi's Mansion 2...but I am just simply not interested in them.

Ultimately though, by the time I get around to wanting one of these....the price point will probably have dropped, or a second version will be out.

Re: Playstation Vita

Konami just showed off a new trailer for the new Little King's Story game, it seems you'll be able to use the touchscreen to select units from a distance.
The trailer will probably be uploaded soon, for now here's the only screenshot I snagged of the new Character designs.

Re: Playstation Vita

Well, with it already out in Japan and less than a week until its American release (and I think it's out in Europe already too), I feel it's time this thread became active again.

I have mine pre-ordered and paid for, and am planning to get mine on Thursday because midnight release on a Wednesday would suck. The only games I plan to get so far are Gravity Rush and possibly Ragnarok Odyssey.

Re: Playstation Vita

I'm planning on getting one, but I'm not sure. If I did get it, I'd probably get Ruin and LBP. Some of the other games look nice, but a bit too similar to their PS3 counterparts, so I'll pass.
Heard Gravity Daze was supposed to be pretty good, but I've never looked into it.

Re: Playstation Vita

Well I got it.

And now here comes my mini-review:
-The touch controls are very nice. The fact that they are the only controls available outside of games is not. You can't use any of the face-buttons or the control sticks in the browser, maps, system settings, nothing. I don't like this at all. I find it convenient to be able to cancel with the circle button or select with the X or things like that, but now it doesn't do that.
-Display is gorgeous. Cameras are very nice. Placement of the face camera is irksome because you can't look at the screen and the camera at the same time, like you can with the 3DS.
-Tutorials are fun and challenging. I might have to play the skateboarding one a lot until a legit game comes out that I want.
-Memory Cards are highway robbery. It's 25 bucks for a 4GB card. 4GB flashdrives cost 7 bucks nowadays. 4GB SD cards are like 15 at most. Ended up getting the 35 dollar 8GB card because I'd rather get double the storage for an extra ten bucks while not quite getting robbed of all my money.
-Incompatibility with PSP games sucks. I know they had to cut corners somewhere, but the fact that I have to keep my PSP-3000 to play games like Dissidia and Project: Miku seems stupid. They should figure out a way to allow redownload of games that you already own onto a PSV so you don't need both systems to play all your games and you don't need to spend another 20 bucks on re-buying the game.
-They have an anime section in the PlayStation Store. AN ANIME SECTION. WITH LIKE ALMOST EVERY ANIME I'VE SEEN/HEARD OF DUBBED. Granted, it's 2 bucks an episode and they're dubbed, but a cool fact nonetheless. I could probably just put my own anime onto the memory card though. :P
-The launch titles list, while not as abysmal as the 3DS list was a year ago, is still pretty bad for the US and other territories outside of Japan. Well over half the games already out in Japan have another couple months before they're released elsewhere, while the system came out two weeks after the Japanese release. I WANT MY GRAVITY RUSH GODDANGIT.

Re: Playstation Vita

Originally Posted by Detta

-They have an anime section in the PlayStation Store. AN ANIME SECTION. WITH LIKE ALMOST EVERY ANIME I'VE SEEN/HEARD OF DUBBED. Granted, it's 2 bucks an episode and they're dubbed, but a cool fact nonetheless. I could probably just put my own anime onto the memory card though. :P
Thus concludes my mini-review.

Two questions about that:
1) I suppose that all that anime doesn't have mature content, right? Since you know, the Vita does target kids and such.
2) Are there any anime of Key's works?

Re: Playstation Vita

@Aero there's a lot of mature and kid's anime. Running through a couple of the sections, I saw Baccano (pretty bloody anime about the Mafia and some other stuff) and some other mature-looking anime, but they also have kids stuff.
And can you name an anime by them? I'm not familiar with the name.

Re: Playstation Vita

Originally Posted by Detta

And can you name an anime by them? I'm not familiar with the name.

Kanon, Air and Clannad are probably the most famous of their works.

Anyway, I don't want this to just be an off-topic post, so... I'm mildly interested in the Vita, I guess. This is coming from the fact that I wasn't interested in the PSP at all until recently, so I assume it'll be the same for the Vita once it starts getting good games and stuff. But time will tell.

Re: Playstation Vita

My brother just got one, although he's in Singapore right now. Since I don't think region matters (and it's the same as here anyways) I guess i'm looking forward to messing with it later. Although, I personally would've waited for a price drop or for when games I actually wanted came out.

The PSP at first didn't interest me, but I'm at the point now that I know there's a lot of developers I like that work with Sony or may release things on the system, so I guess it's nice to have in advance. If anything I'd say I'm interested in Persona 4: The Golden but there's not much else I know about games planned or already released on it.

Re: Playstation Vita

Thanks, Moonside!
@Aero looks like they have Clannad and I remember seeing Kanon somewhere while I was browsing.
@Dynawing yeah it's region free. Considering importing Gravity Rush because three months is quite a while when I can read Japanese pretty well already.

Also I tried the demo of Lumines, and it's... interesting. Not really my kind of game, but it can get addicting.

Some more stuff after messing around with it for a day:
Basically every screen around the home menu is customizable. Lock screen can have its own image, and you can have multiple pages of the Home Menu with a different background image for each.
Music controls are annoying. You have to unlock the PSV and go into the Music app to do any pausing or track skipping, and (as is the rest of the pre-installed software) it's touch-only.
They copied the 3DS's Face Raiders game, lol. You have to find things that look like faces and take pictures of them, and then the program makes it into a face that talks with gibberish audio. And, unlike Face Raiders which worked with anything from a real face to a wooden floor, it requires the actual shape to function.

Re: Playstation Vita

I'm admittedly not a big Sony fan, but I took a look at the lineup, and my god, does it look good. I'll definitely be saving up for one of these, yes.

Anyway, my friend brought in his Vita to school today, and I had a tilt or two at Mod Nation Racers. Now, racing games really aren't my thing, but I actually had a lot of fun with it. Pretty sure this console works miracles.

Re: Playstation Vita

This is gonna be a good year for handheld gamers. The 3DS gets Etrian Odyssey 4, Mario Tennis, Luigi's Mansion 2, Beyond the Labyrinth, Kid Icarus and Fire Emblem and the Vita BlazBlue, Disgaea 3, Gravity Rush, Persona 4 and much more.

In other words, I just bought a Vita with BlazBlue, but had no chance to play it yet.

Re: Playstation Vita

For anyone who's gotten the Vita already, go to the PlayStation Store and download the free game "Fireworks".
It's a game where you tap on the screen to detonate fireworks fired from Augmented Reality houses. It works with 3 of the 6 provided AR cards, but can work without them in Infinite Mode.

It's really one of those games where you wish it was on the 3DS but still had the same touch-screen input as the Vita because it would look absolutely amazing in 3D but it wouldn't work without the Vita-style touchscreen.

I suggest sitting in a rolling chair for Infinite Mode. It ends up spinning you around slowly.

Oh yeah, I also tried the demo of Rayman Origins. I'd buy the game if I wasn't saving up for other stuff, and the demo seems to have enough content to satisfy me. I haven't even finished it though because it has no save and I haven't played it for more than an hour and a half at a time.

Re: Playstation Vita

Every time I go to Best Buy I play with the Vita demo.
I am a tech geek, so I always want the new stuff!

The analogue pads leave much to be desired, but I can get used to them. The system just needs one killer app... I think my wife might be getting it for me for my birthday though. I shant argue! Looks like some fun ahead, though I don't think it'll ever replace my 3DS.